Every HR leader knows the cycle all too well. After Thanksgiving comes and goes, it’s only a matter of time before productivity begins to slow and stress starts to spike.
More than 60 percent of companies report a decline in workplace productivity during the holiday season, as employees are forced to juggle end-of-year deadlines and personal responsibilities. Many organizations rely on familiar morale boosters during this time, but these methods could be more effective if they focused on practices that actually match how work unfolds in December.
This HR 411 feature explores three strategies you can add to your playbook to help navigate the dreaded seasonal decline.
Try Simple Workload Swaps
The holidays often reduce employees’ capacity for long projects that require sustained focus. If there aren’t any strict deadlines or goals a team needs to meet, encourage managers to move toward smaller, less concentration-heavy jobs. This could be cleaning up any backlogs, improving or organizing documents, or making any operational refinements that could smooth over the transition into the new year.
These simple tasks still move the business forward and often can clear up any issues that linger throughout the year.
Create Space To Recharge
Time away from work matters even more at the end of the year, but it can cause a lot of stress when plans aren’t clear. Giving employees the option to take short recharge blocks or join in on coordinated days off makes the schedule feel easier to navigate.
Short blocks help people who just need a little breathing room, while coordinated days give teams a chance to unplug together. For example, one team might agree that everyone can take two separate half-days whenever they need a break. This helps keep everything predictable and prevents those last-minute scrambles that tend to pop up in December.
Utilize Employee-Led Spotlights
Employee recognition is valuable all year, but it often loses momentum during the holiday season. Moving to employee-driven spotlights can create recognition that feels personal and grounded in real contributions.
One option is to let employees nominate coworkers for different recognition spotlights. These could be fun and simple, like the best cubicle to visit, or impact-driven, such as mentor of the year. Another option could be a simple year-in-review wall that gives teams a place to highlight progress or moments that matter to them.
No matter the method, refreshing your approach to recognition can give employees the lift they need to finish the year strong.
Final Thoughts
The holiday slump is a normal part of the work cycle, but its impact doesn’t have to be disruptive. When you add these strategies to your playbook, it’s easier to get employees through the slowest season.
Sources: Monster, Juris Temps
